23 July 2014
Chairperson,
Honourable Minister of Defence and Military Veterans,
Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee on Defence & Military Veterans and the House at large,
Secretary for Defence, Dr Gulube
Chief of the SANDF, Gen Shoke, and all other Military personnel present in this House,
Our distinguished fellow Military Veterans present here today
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Honourable Chairperson, often we undertake journeys in our lives, inspired by a need greater than our personal desires. Such journeys are motivated by a greater need to do good for our fellow human-beings, at the expense of our own personal well-being.
Today I stand before this august house to dedicate this maiden speech to part of a community, which sacrificed everything, for the well-being of our greater Society. I speak here of a special kind of people, whom our departed leader, OR Tambo, named THE YOUNG LIONS detachment. This is the detachment of the disbanded People's Army, Umkhonto we Sizwe. It is the detachment that undertook a journey, to fiercely burn the flame of freedom in our country, and confronted the destabilizing forces sponsored by the apartheid regime in Angola. During those battles many perished in that Country, which we proudly called the Firm Trench of the Revolution in Africa.
These were young men and women who left our Country to take up arms against apartheid during the fierce battles which preceded the negotiations, that ushered in our hard won Democracy.
We deem it fit to revisit this past today, to compel ourselves to remember that the bones of South Africans are scattered all over the world as they perished in pursuit of human dignity.
In pursuit of our struggle for freedom and human dignity, we also would like to remember, while we celebrate the World War One Centenary, the
painful story of the SS Mendi, which went down with about 607 Africans. It would be befitting that when we honor our Military Veterans with today's budget vote, we remember that our bones are not only scattered in foreign lands. But they also lay resting deep in the ocean sea bed of our World.
Honourable Chairperson, the Government of the African National Congress has to be lauded and applauded, for having taken a bold step to address the plight of the Military Veterans. These are men and women who sacrificed their youth, for the youth of today, black and white, to stand proud and tall, as compatriots and fellow South Africans. It is these men and women, who deserve the honor, dignity and our commitment, to "address the injustices of the past". We must be true to the injunctions of the Constitution of the Republic, regardless of the many challenges, and never tire to declare that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. It is in that spirit that we shall all recognize and acknowledge the need, to ensure that our Military Veterans, those who suffered for our Democracy, enjoy the result of their sacrifice in their lifetime.
Today we would like to announce that in pursuit of giving honor to our Military Veterans, we intend to establish, register, resource, capacitate and ensure the operation of 200 Military Veterans' cooperatives, in all the 9 Provinces of our Republic. These cooperatives are meant to involve at least 1500 Military Veterans in gainful economic empowerment and activity. Honourable Chairperson, job creation will now become a reality for Military Veterans and not just a dream. This process will be undertaken in partnership with relevant Government Departments and the private sector through MOU’s. It is an initiative that must radically turn around the economic empowerment of Military Veterans, and give them a new meaning in life, as full participants in our effort to contribute towards economic growth and employment creation. We cannot fail in this initiative; it is our expression of the radical transformation which our Country needs.
“Ziyalunga izinto zama Military Veterans
Ziyalunga”
We take cognizant of the fact that the success of the business ventures of Military Veterans, demands the great need for skills development and academic advancement and excellence. Subsequently, we would like to commit to undertake a process, to build partnerships with further education and training institutions.
We aim to reach agreements with them, to give concessions to members of the Military Veterans community, to acquire the relevant skills, and in some cases, study to complete their dream of education, which they sacrificed in their youth, when they answered the call to fight to bring about democracy in our Country. We believe this initiative, will not just redeem the self-esteem of Military Veterans, but will inspire our country to study. To this end we would like to commit, to provide bursaries, through our budget and in partnership with other relevant Departments and the private sector, to Military Veterans and their dependents.
We all know that the scars of war are not easily healed. In fact many military veterans go to the grave with unimaginable pain that they carried, throughout the course of their lives. We commit to ensure that we ease that pain, through a well-focused health and wellness programs with the emphasis on Counselling. This initiative will help to stabilize Military Veterans lives, and strengthen the process of reintegrating them into their communities. The physical health of Military Veterans will also be greatly strengthened by affording them access to Military Health institutions.
The holistic health of the Military Veterans is of critical importance to enhance their profile as community builders. The Department of Military Veterans will also look at means to amend the Military Veterans Act and do research on the feasibility of a possible all inclusive comprehensive health Service for the Dependants of Military Veterans to have access to our health facilities and medical support.
We have in the past experienced pain and discomfort, at how those who put their lives in the line for our freedom, receive burials that fail to reflect the sacrifice they made during their life time. We are engaging with the Industry and the Military Veterans to explore the establishment of a burial scheme, to guarantee that no Military Veteran, shall be bid farewell that does not befit the sacrifice they undertook in their lifetime. The burials of our Military Veterans must cease being platforms of lament, and they must become occasion to inspire the living to greater heights of patriotism and civil duty.
One of the key weaknesses facing the Department Military Veterans is our ICT capacity and capabilities. We will work in partnership with our State Information and Technology Agency, SITA, to establish a firm ICT base for the Department.
During the 2014/15 financial year the Department will also establish the South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA) Secretariat to provide a comprehensive administrative support to strengthen governance and oversight protocols to give effect to the provisions of the Military Veterans Act.
I would like to announce that a Special SANMVA National General Council will be called within the next month where I will officially step down as SANMVA President.
The Department Military Veteran’s executive priorities have not changed and we will put extra emphasis on finalising the provisioning of Public Transport for Military Veterans.
Honourable Chairperson, I gave the Department clear instructions to finalise the National Military Veterans Database by the end of December 2014.This is to ensure a credible and secure database to promote accountability as espoused in section 9 of the Military Veterans Act.
The Department will put emphasis on the finalisation and promotion of the Military Veterans Heritage, memorialisation, honouring programmes and policies. This includes the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Restoration and repatriation of graves of the Liberation War Military Veterans and the establishment of a Military Veterans Heroes and Heroines Acre.
The provision of decent Housing to deserving Military Veterans will remain a priority for the Department.
Honourable Chairperson, the Department has embarked on a process to fast-track the establishment of the Military Veterans Advisory Council, Appeals Board and the Audit Committee to strengthen governance and oversight protocols within the Department.
Honourable Chairperson, finally, our focus to alleviate the plight of Military Veterans, is based on the manifesto of the ruling party; it is informed by the National Development Plan. Our program of radically transforming the lives of the Military Veterans is borne in our vision of:
ACCELERATED SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR MILITARY VETERANS, THROUGH THEIR SELF EMPOWERMENT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, PRIVATE SECTOR, AND THE SOCIETY IN GENERAL.
I would like to salute the Honourable Minister for her unselfish effort to see the Defence Review through up to the level of Cabinet and for further tabling it in Parliament.
The Defence Review will revitalise the SANDF and address the key challenges of the Department as it prepares those whom will be joining the ranks of the Military Veterans.
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